The Queen And Milton Keynes (17 June 1977)

Two days before the Queen’s Silver Jubilee there appeared in the Sunday Express a feature article which greatly interested me.  It was written by the former Prime Minister, Sir Harold Wilson, and it was headed “How the Queen made me feel like a schoolboy who had not done his homework”.

The article turned out to be a highly readable appreciation of the Queen’s role in public life and especially of her largely unrecognised work behind the scenes.

“I doubt if many of us have any idea of what that work entails,” wrote Sir Harold.  “Many have seen her in person, millions more in this television age on the screen, opening civic buildings, presenting the FA Cup, attending premieres or, unthinkable in Victorian times, going on a walk-about.

“But few realise the amount of homework she does.  The Prime Minister is in no doubt.  She is an avid reader, not only of Cabinet papers and minutes, but of Cabinet committee papers and foreign and Commonwealth telegrams.

“I have reason to harbour a feeling that she enjoys catching him out.  In my first month as PM I made a habit of postponing reading the papers of any committee I did not chair – unless it was urgent – until the weekend.

“At one audience, she sweetly expressed (sic) interest in the plans for a new town in Buckinghamshire – now Milton Keynes.  She could see through my lame comments that I had not read the paper and I felt like a fourth-former who had not done his homework.”

So the little lad from Huddersfield had slipped up and was made to know it and to remember it vividly.  For in an article many times the length of the excerpt I have given, only two other towns are mentioned – London and Blackburn – and those only en passant.

But that is not the only interest in Milton Keynes which the Queen has taken.  Not very long after the incident, thus blushingly brought to light by Sir Harold, the Queen and Prince Philip made their memorable one-day tour of North Bucks.

After visiting the Aston Martin works at Newport Pagnell they set off for Bletchley.  But Bletchley was not the next place they stopped.  Their route lay by way of the Broughton roundabout and the old road through Milton Keynes village and Walton.  On the roundabout the royal car halted.  There were practically no normal sightseers around – just four or five following cars carrying persons-in-waiting, police, the Press and so forth.

But at that time the roundabout was just about the highest point on her route from which the general area of the new town could best be seen, and the Queen spent several minutes looking at it from her car window while various topographical features were pointed out to her.  Her interest was apparent to all of us who were there.

Which makes me wonder what she thought of the recent news that the population target was to be chopped back by a figure equal to that of the present Bletchley – about 40,000.

AND NOW to somewhat different matters.

Luton Council objects to possible migration from Luton to Milton Keynes.  A report by Luton’s planning officer says: “The loss of young population or employment to any significant degree would have a disastrous effect on the economy and social well-being of Luton.”

Probably.  But many of us remember the time when the position was different as far as employment was concerned.  People were migrating from London to Bletchley ostensibly to work in new factories here.  But a significant number of them were soon commuting to the motor works and other factories at Luton.

The position became so serious that Bletchley Council began charging such tenants an extra 10s a week rent, which was no small amount in those days.  The tenants claimed the Bletchley employers did not pay as good wages as elsewhere, due to the fact the employees were “tied” to the town, and thus had less bargaining power.

When the extra charge was removed – which happened very quickly – it was not on those grounds.  The reason given by the council was that these men had special skills for which there were not enough openings in Bletchley at that stage.

So should Luton complain overmuch if the pendulum now threatens to swing in the opposite direction?